Participating in the University of Wisconsin-Superior basketball league this summer were (L-R, front) Mike Burton, Jared Spry, Colton Furlong. (L-R, back) Coach Pat Eliasen, Lars Scannell, Jamie Wick, Rory Bakke, Andy Farley and Sam O’Phelan.
Basketball teams that win in the winter do so because they put in the hard work in the summer. Whether it’s participating in shooting drills, dribbling drills, passing drills, playing one-on-one or playing pick-up games, kids who are good basketball players only get that way by playing a lot of basketball. This summer a group of hard working Cook County High School basketball players have made a commitment to better their games.
For the last seven weeks each Sunday, Cook County High School basketball players have been traveling to the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus to play in a summer league against teams from Esko, Marshall, Mountain Iron, Mesabi East, Solon Springs, Northwestern, Superior and Drummond.
Head Coach Pat Eliasen said his kids have shown improvement, but, he added, “We played two games each time we went and stamina was our biggest enemy.
“The team looked good but we’re pretty young and inexperienced. It was a successful venture in the sense that we played teams that we normally would never see and we were able to compete with them.”
Eliasen said his team needs to establish a post player, but added, “At the present time, Jamie Wick is looking pretty good. Sam O’ Phelan was the only player who never missed a week and that shows huge commitment from him. He also works out at the Y each day and at open gym.
“The coaches take turns supervising open gym Monday through Friday from 8-10 p.m. Rory Bakke is emerging as a point guard; Andy Farley is looking good on the boards; Jared Spry is also finding his way as a ball handler; and we have some upcoming freshmen in Colton Furlong and Mike Burton who also committed to play this summer. We will be losing Lars Scannell to transfer for the upcoming year,” Eliasen said.
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